Meet Me at the Bell Tower: South end gathering copies North End event

Fort Garry teens inspired by Meet Me at the Bell Tower in the North End have started gathering at their own bell tower in hopes of strengthening community ties in the south end.

"We feel as though there can be some isolation in the south end compared to the other sides of the city, so we want to create more opportunities for youth," saidMariaGindy, who's going into Grade 12 at Fort Richmond Collegiate.

Gindy and classmatesMirha Zohair Mira and Naomi Halderwere inspired to start their version of Meet Me at the Bell Tower after attending the North End gathering at the invitation of founder Michael Redhead Champagne.

Meet Me at the Bell Tower has been drawing people to Powers Street at Selkirk Avenue every Friday for 4years to discuss ways to improve the neighbourhood.

Champagne, who started Aboriginal Youth Opportunities, which organizes the weekly meetup,said he is hoping to help instigate the same kind of community connections at the bell tower in front of Saint Vital Catholic Church at 1629 Pembina Ave.

Champagne said violence was identified as one of the biggest issues in the community when theirgroup formed in November 2011, and Meet Me at the Bell Tower has given people in the North End an opportunityto come up with waysto address the problem.

Earlier this summer, organizers issued a call encouraging other Winnipeg neighbourhoods to hold similar weekly meetups. People in the south end responded.

"We're very excited with the response we've gotten so far," Champagne said.

The Fort Garry teens were so impressed they wanted to copy the North End model.

"We were all very inspired," Zohair said.

"The first thing I noticed instantly was the whole feeling of community that was there," Halder said. "It was something that I felt was lacking in our area."

"We actually have a lot of culturaldiversity in the south end, and we want to utilize that. It shouldn't be something that is bringing us down; it should be something that is bringing us up," Gindy said.